Wind-solar powered water condensing and power generating system

Abstract

A pair of slightly vertically spaced and inclined large diameter tubular members extend between and open into a pair of plenum structures mounted on elevated portions of horizontally spaced apart natural or man-made structures between which natural wind currents flow at greater than average speeds. The lower air plenum structure includes an air inlet which opens into the wind and the upper air plenum structure includes an upwardly opening air outlet as well as power generating air turbine structure therein. The downwind sides of the large diameter tubes converge toward each other and a small diameter tube extends along the large diameter tubes on the downwind side thereof and is only slightly spaced from the external surfaces from the large diameter tubes. The lower end of the small diameter tube includes means for receiving air therein while the upper end includes means for discharging air therefrom into the higher air plenum structure. As the prevailing wind impacts against the windward side of the large diameter tubes, it is slightly compressed and moves through the narrow area defined between the large tubes with which the small diameter tube is registered. As the wind exits from the leaward side of the narrow area, the air thereof expands and absorbs heat from the small diameter pipe and causes moisture within the air flowing through the small tube to condense on the inner surfaces thereof and flow toward a drain at the lower end of the small tube.

What is claimed as new is as follows: 
     
       1. A wind powered power generating system for use between a pair of spaced large wind channeling structures such as a pair of opposing sides of a canyon or the adjacent sides of a pair of spaced hills, such power generating system including a pair of plenum structures for stationary mounting on said sides, at least one generally horizontal large diameter tube extending between and having its opposite ends opening into said plenum structures, one of said plenum structures including a wind inlet opening formed therein opening horizontally outwardly of one side of said tube for intaking wind air moving toward said one side of said tube, said one plenum structure including wind directing means operative to direct wind air entering said opening into the adjacent end of said tube, the other of said plenum structures including air outlet structure, said plenum structures and said tube together defining a wind air flow passage through said system, wind rotary turbine means disposed in said passage for developing rotary torque responsive to wind flow through said passage, said one plenum structure including opposite side inlet openings and said wind directing means including wind pressure actuated means for inversely opening and closing said opposite side inlet openings. 
     
     
       2. The power generating system of claim 1 wherein said system includes a second generally horizontal tube disposed in superposed slightly spaced relation relative to the first mentioned tube and whose opposite ends also open into corresponding plenum structures. 
     
     
       3. The power generating system of claim 1 wherein said large diameter tube is slightly upwardly inclined toward said other plenum structure. 
     
     
       4. The power generating structure of claim 1 wherein said wind rotary turbine means is disposed in said other plenum structure. 
     
     
       5. The power generating structure of claim 1 wherein said wind rotary turbine means includes structure for funnelling air moving through said passage past said wind rotary turbine means. 
     
     
       6. A wind powered power generating system for use between a pair of spaced large wind channeling structures such as a pair of opposing sides of a canyon or the adjacent sides of a pair of spaced hills, such power generating system including a pair of plenum structures for stationary mounting on said sides, at least one generally horizontal large diameter tube extending between and having its opposite ends opening into said plenum structures, one of said plenum structures including a wind inlet opening formed therein opening horizontally outwardly of one side of said tube for intaking wind air moving toward said one side of said tube, said one plenum structure including wind directing means operative to direct wind air entering said opening into the adjacent end of said tube, the other of said plenum structures including air outlet structure, said plenum structures and said tube together defining a wind air flow passage through said system, wind rotary turbine means disposed in said passage for developing rotary torque responsive to wind flow through said passage, said air outlet structure including wind deflecting means stationary relative to said air outlet structure and operative to accelerate wind incident thereon and moving in a direction transverse to said tube laterally across said air outlet structure. 
     
     
       7. The power generating system of claim 6 wherein said one plenum structure including opposite side inlet openings and said wind directing means includes wind pressure actuated means for inversely opening and closing said opposite side inlet openings. 
     
     
       8. The power generating structure of claim 7 wherein said system includes a second generally horizontal tube disposed in superposed slightly spaced relation relative to the first mentioned tube and whose opposite ends also open into corresponding plenum structures. 
     
     
       9. A wind powered power generating system for use between a pair of spaced large wind channeling structures such as a pair of opposing sides of a canyon or the adjacent sides of a pair of spaced hills, such power generating system including a pair of plenum structures for stationary mounting on said sides, at least one generally horizontal large diameter tube extending between and having its opposite ends opening into said plenum structures, one of said plenum structures including a wind inlet opening formed therein opening horizontally outwardly of one side of said tube for intaking wind air moving toward said one side of said tube, said one plenum structure including wind directing means operative to direct wind air entering said opening into the adjacent end of said tube, the other of said plenum structures including air outlet structure, said plenum structures and said tube together defining a wind air flow passage through said system, wind rotary turbine means disposed in said passage for developing rotary torque responsive to wind flow through said passage, said system including a second generally horizontal tube disposed in superposed slightly spaced relation relative to the first mentioned tube and whose opposite ends also open into correponding plenum structures, said tubes defining convergent surfaces forming a channel on the sides thereof corresponding to said one side of the first mentioned tube, a small diameter pipe extending along and slightly spaced from a full seated position in said channel, means for admitting air into the end of said small diameter pipe adjacent one plenum structure and for discharging air from the other end of said small diameter pipe into the other plenum structure, said large diameter pipe and said small diameter pipe being slightly upwardly inclined toward said other plenum structure. 
     
     
       10. The power generating structure of claim 9 including a second small diameter pipe, said tubes defining convergent surfaces forming a second channel on the sides thereof opposite the first mentioned channel, said second small diameter pipe extending along and only spaced from a full seated position in the second channel, a connecting pipe section communicating the lower ends of said pipes, the lower end of said second pipe including liquid drain means operatively associated therewith. 
     
     
       11. The power generating structure of claim 10 including a second connecting pipe section communicating the upper ends of said pipes, said other plenum structure including incident wind inlet means associated therewith communicated with a mid-length portion of said second connecting pipe section, said second pipe section including oneway check valve means disposed therein on opposite sides of said mid-length portion thereof, the upper ends of said pipes including outlet portions thereof opening into said other plenum structure and equipped with oneway check valves. 
     
     
       12. A wind powered power generating system for use between a pair of spaced large wind channeling structures such as a pair of opposing sides of a canyon or the adjacent sides of a pair of spaced hills, such power generating system including a pair of plenum structures for stationary mounting on said sides, at least one generally horizontal large diameter tube extending between and having its opposite ends opening into said plenum structures, one of said plenum structures including a wind inlet opening formed therein opening horizontally outwardly of one side of said tube for intaking wind air moving toward said one side of said tube, said one plenum structure including wind directing means operative to direct wind air entering said opening into the adjacent end of said tube, the other of said plenum structures including air outlet structure, said plenum structures and said tube together defining a wind air flow passage through said system, wind rotary turbine means disposed in said passage for developing rotary torque responsive to wind flow through said passage, said system including a second generally horizontal tube disposed in superposed slightly spaced relation relative to the first mentioned tube and whose opposite ends also open into corresponding plenum structures, said one plenum structure including opposite side inlet openings, said one plenum structure including opposite side inlet openings and said wind directing means including wind pressure actuated means for inversely opening and closing said opposite side inlet openings, said wind pressure actuated means including a pair of upper and lower damper plates disposed above and below a horizontal baffle plate in said one plenum structure and swingable between opposite limit positions opening and closing said opposite side inlet openings. 
     
     
       13. A wind powered power generating system for use between a pair of spaced large wind channeling structures such as a pair of opposing sides of a canyon or the adjacent sides of a pair of spaced hills, such power generating system including a pair of plenum structures for stationary mounting on said sides, at least one generally horizontal large diameter tube extending between and having its opposite ends opening into said plenum structures, one of said plenum structures including a wind inlet opening formed therein opening horizontally outwardly of one side of said tube for intaking wind air moving toward said one side of said tube, said one plenum structure including wind directing means operative to direct wind air entering said opening into the adjacent end of said tube, the other of said plenum structures including air outlet structure, said plenum structures and said tube together defining a wind air flow passage through said system, wind rotary turbine means disposed in said passage for developing rotary torque responsive to wind flow through said passage, said system including a second generally horizontal tube disposed in superposed slightly spaced relation relative to the first mentioned tube and whose opposite ends also open into corresponding plenum structures, said one plenum structure including opposite side inlet openings, said wind directing means including wind pressure actuated means for inversely opening and closing said opposite side inlet openings, and sets of opposite side freely swingable shutter panels operatively associated with and operable to inversely open and close said opposite side inlet openings responsive to wind incident upon said large diameter pipe from opposite sides thereof.